Brian Brilliant Blurbs for May 12th, 2010 (Joshua 5-6, Matthew 8-10)

What really spoke to me this morning was another verse that I was sure of what it meant. In Matthew 10, Jesus is preparing to send His disciples out giving them “power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.” But what got me thinking was as Jesus was speaking to them, instructing them, his said in verse 16:

Matthew 10:16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.

What does it mean to be wise as serpents? The serpent is a creature that we usually associate with the enemy. God cursed the serpent in Genesis and now Jesus is telling his disciples (and us) to be as wise as serpents? There are many kinds of wisdom, some are earthly and some are spiritual and after doing some research on this, I believe that Jesus is telling us to be wary of the dangers that the enemy will place in our way. Being prudent and when we sense danger, avoiding it and escaping from it. Verse 23, Jesus tells us “But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another” Snakes are pros at avoiding danger and escaping from it. That is their primary defense, they can feel us and other creature around them through our footsteps and they know (for the most part) to avoid dangers that are too big for them to take on. We need to be wise on what dangers the enemy will set before us and which of those are too big for us to take on. And every one of us have different dangers that we are more susceptible to than others and each one of us have dangers that we can safely navigate. But there is also the 2nd part to that where we need to be harmless as doves. When navigating these danger zones, we need to be careful that what we do, what we say, won’t hurt others and cause them to go astray.

May you all have a blessed and wonderful day in Christ.

Proverbs 14:8 The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way: but the folly of fools is deceit.
27:12 A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself; but the simple pass on, and are punished.

12:18 There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health.
15:2 The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright: but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness.
16:23 The heart of the wise teacheth his mouth, and addeth learning to his lips.

James 3:13 Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. 

14 But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. 

15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. 

16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. 

17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.